1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bubble toys, and in particular, to a bubble generating assembly which has reduced overall size, and which generates a stream of bubbles without the need to dip any component of the assembly into a container or a dish of bubble solution.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Bubble producing toys are very popular among children who enjoy producing bubbles of different shapes and sizes. Many bubble producing toys have previously been provided. Recently, many bubble generating assemblies have been provided where a film of bubble solution is formed across a bubble ring without the need to dip the bubble ring into a dish of bubble solution. A stream of air is directed towards the film of bubble solution to generate a stream of bubbles. Examples of such bubble generating assemblies are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,223,149 (Thai), 6,682,570 (Thai), 6,755,710 (Thai), 7,144,291 (Thai), 7,182,665 (Thai) and 7,172,484 (Thai), among others. Most of these assemblies include a pump system which delivers bubble solution from a bubble source (e.g., a bottle) to the bubble ring, a linkage that moves a component (either a stationary bar or the bubble ring itself) to form a film of bubble across the bubble ring, and an actuator that turns on a fan to direct the stream of air at the film of bubble solution.
While these bubble generating assemblies have been effective in producing streams of large and small bubbles, and in bringing considerable entertainment and fun to children, most of these assemblies are quite large because the internal mechanisms that are needed to produce the bubbles take up a lot of space. For example, the linkage and the actuator for the fan can involve a number of different components that together occupy a lot of space.
Therefore, there still remains a need for a bubble generating assembly which has reduced overall size, and which generates a stream of bubbles without the need to dip any component of the assembly into a container or a dish of bubble solution to form a film of bubble solution.